Jets say Coples will have procedure on ankle, out indefinitely

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 18, 2013, 8:44 PM EST

AP

The Jets have confirmed that linebacker Quinton Coples will miss some time after suffering an ankle injury in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Jaguars, but the amount of time remains unclear.

Amid reports that Coples suffered a hairline fracture in his ankle and would miss 3-4 weeks, the Jets released a statement on Sunday night that was short on specifics.

“Linebacker Quinton Coples suffered an injured right ankle Saturday night in the Jets’ 37-13 win over Jacksonville at MetLife Stadium,” the statement said. “Coples will undergo a medical procedure on Tuesday. He will miss the remainder of the preseason and is out indefinitely.”

The Jets spent the 16th overall pick in last year’s draft on Coples and got 5.5 sacks out of him as a rookie. There were hopes that he’d take a big step forward in his second season, but his 2013 season isn’t getting off to a good start.

Not good. The front 7 is the one part of the roster with talent. Coples was great last year as a rookie, and moving him to OLB this year was a rough transition, but if it worked out he’d get even more sacks. The one silver lining to this cloud is that one of the few FA signings the Jets made this offseason was on Coples’ replacement, Antwan Barnes, who is a decent player and has looked good in the preseason.